Spark of Insanity
by boswifedeb
Summary: Someone is trying to kill Matt Houston: will his friends and family find out who before it's too late? Not my characters but I sure love 'em. Rated T for violence and language. This story immediately follows "Borderline".
1. Chapter 1

**Spark of Insanity**

****This story immediately follows "Borderline"****

**CHAPTER 1**

Matt walked into CJ's office and leaned over to give her a kiss. "Gotta go meet Hoyt. Be back in about an hour. Love you."

She covered the receiver on the phone. "Okay, be careful. Love you, too. Wanna grab some lunch when you get back?"

"Sounds good. Figure out what you want." He kissed her again and headed for the elevator.

"Chris, do you think you can hold down the fort for a while?" He loved to tease their secretary.

"Well, I do it all the time!" She smiled at her boss and watched as he got on the elevator. He had sure been a lot happier the last few months since he and CJ had gotten together and married. Now everyone was waiting for baby news. Both Matt and CJ would be great parents.

In the elevator, Matt was thinking about CJ. They had been married almost four months now and were trying for a baby. He smiled as he thought about what it would be like: CJ with a baby bump. He could already hear her complaining about gaining weight. His best friend, Vince Novelli had been teasing him on the phone a few minutes ago about learning how to change diapers and making bottles. He sure missed having Vince around, but knew that he and his family were happy in Hawaii running their successful Italian restaurant. He had felt a lot of guilt when Vince was shot during a case they were working on together three years back. Vince had been forced to retire due to the injuries, but had sure bounced back with the restaurant that he and his mother Rosa had started. Matt pulled out the keys to his truck as the elevator neared the parking garage level. The doors opened and BOOM!

CJ's phone line went dead as the building shook. Then fire alarms began going off. CJ ran out to the outer office and Chris was standing at her desk with her mouth open. "What was that?!"

"I don't know, but the whole building shook!" The two women grabbed their purses and headed for the stairwell. CJ pulled out her phone and dialed Matt's cell. There was no answer. Her heart was in her throat. She knew he hadn't had time to get out of the building yet. As they neared the first floor and the parking garage level they could smell smoke and heard a lot of commotion. "Chris, I'm going to the garage to look for Houston, you go on outside." The secretary nodded and kept going.

CJ tried to open the door to the parking garage but it seemed to be stuck. She pulled on it with all her might and it finally gave. Smoke billowed into the stairwell. She covered her nose and mouth with the sleeve of her jacket and went inside.

Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw: there in front of her was what remained of Matt's truck, a burning heap of metal. At first she thought she might pass out but knew that there was a chance that he wasn't inside of it. She turned toward the elevator and could see the doors on it opening and closing. When she got closer she could see two legs lying across the threshold – and there were cowboy boots on the feet.

"Matt! Matt!" She ran toward the elevator and sure enough, there he lay sprawled inside the elevator. Kneeling beside her husband she felt for a pulse and thanked God when she found one. She pulled out her phone and called 911 to request an ambulance. After what seemed like an eternity but was only a couple of minutes, two paramedics arrived along with fire trucks and police cars. One of the officers who was first to arrive was Michael Hoyt. He saw CJ and ran over to her.

"Is he okay? What happened?" He took her by the hand and held her as the paramedics began working on Matt.

"He's got a pulse." That was all she could get out. She and Hoyt followed the paramedics out to the ambulance where he helped her get into the back. "I'll give you guys an escort," he told the paramedic who was driving.

"Are you his wife?" CJ nodded and the paramedic began asking a lot of questions about Matt. "No, he's not on any medication. No, no allergies. No history of heart problems." Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. She could hear the wail of the siren, but the pounding of her heart seemed even louder. She looked at her husband. He was unconscious and had cuts and scrapes on his face. His right arm was badly injured: bone was sticking through the sleeve on his blue shirt. His favorite shirt: she had teased him about it just this morning. Matt's right leg was lying at a strange angle and there was blood on the front of his shirt. If he would just open his eyes!

Then the ambulance stopped and she realized they were at the hospital. When the doors opened, there was Hoyt waiting for them. They followed the gurney into the emergency room. CJ tried to go into the exam room with him but they wouldn't let her. Instead she was given a clipboard full of forms to fill out. She sat down on a bench in the hallway with Hoyt and was trying her best to fill out the forms, but her eyes kept filling up with tears and her hands were shaking way too badly to write. Michael took the clip board from her and began filling out the information that he knew, then asked CJ what he didn't know. In a few minutes, they had the forms completed and walked up to the counter to give them to the nurse.

"Alright, CJ, the doctor will be with you as soon as he knows something, okay?" She looked up at the nurse and then realized that she knew this woman. Her name was Simone, and she had teased Matt and CJ for years about getting married. Every time Matt ended up in the emergency room after a fight, gunshot, broken ribs or whatever else took him there, she was there.

Simone came around the counter and gave her a hug. "Come on and sit down, sweetie. You know they'll take good care of him. He's one of our best customers after all." She gave CJ a reassuring smile and helped her back to the bench. Hoyt put his arm around her.

"CJ, has anyone called Roy?" She shook her head no. Hoyt pulled out his cell phone and pushed Roy's number on speed dial. He answered after a couple of rings. "Roy, this is Michael. Look, Matt's at the hospital. I'm not exactly sure what happened but there was an explosion in the parking garage at his office. He's been injured. No, we don't know yet, they're still in the exam room with him. Okay." He hung up. CJ was no longer crying but she looked completely lost and was shivering. He took off his jacket and put it around her. "Roy's on his way. He should be here in about fifteen minutes, okay?"

CJ nodded her head. She was thinking about this morning. Matt had suggested playing hooky today and, as he liked to call it, "work on the baby". She had told him that she had things to do, but that they could work on it that night. Now she wished she could go back in time and tell him yes. Then he wouldn't be lying in the emergency room hurt.

Dr. Metcalfe came walking out of the exam room and looked around, spotting CJ and Hoyt. He walked over to them. She appeared to be in shock. "CJ, why don't you and the lieutenant come with me, okay?" He took her by the hand and he and Hoyt helped her into the little room that was used for consultations.

"How is he?" She still felt like everything was in slow motion, including her brain.

"Well, his right arm has been broken in two places and his right leg is broken. He also has a concussion, and various cuts and abrasions, and a lot of severe bruises on his back and shoulders." The doctor took off his glasses and absentmindedly began cleaning them on his scrub top.

"But he's going to be okay, right?" CJ managed to speak.

"He will. He'll need surgery for the arm. But nothing he can't handle. But he is going to be in some serious pain for a while." He smiled at CJ. She still had a shocked look on her face.

"He's going to be okay." She looked at Hoyt and started crying again. "He wanted to stay home and play hooky today and I told him no. Why didn't I say yes?" Hoyt held her close and patted her back.

"Matt's going to be okay, CJ. He's alright. You forgot that you married Superman, didn't you?" He smiled at her. She smiled and started to laugh, but then the tears started again and she laid her head on Hoyt's chest. The door to the room opened and Simone led a very pale Uncle Roy inside. Dr. Metcalfe stood up and shook his hand and explained Matt's injuries to his uncle.

Roy walked over to CJ who jumped up and into his arms. "It's all my fault, Uncle Roy! He wanted to stay home today, and I…" She dissolved into tears again. Roy shushed her. "You didn't do anything wrong, CJ. And he's going to be fine, okay? Just calm down. Now what would Matt say if he saw you crying like this right now, huh?" He continued to hold her and pat her back.

CJ started to calm down and looked at the doctor. "When can we see him?"

"Well…" He started to tell her not until he was out of surgery. But he knew this pair and how close they were. "I can let you in to see him now, BUT…he is unconscious and he's going to be that way for a while, so don't expect him to open his eyes, okay? We've been getting him cleaned up some, and we've got him scheduled for surgery in about twenty minutes to fix that arm." He led the three of them to the exam room: he knew that Matt and Hoyt were almost as close as brothers.

CJ took a deep breath and composed herself before walking into the room. Matt was lying on the table. His face had been cleaned and the small cuts had been treated and covered. He had a big bruise on his right cheek. They had his right arm covered up, there were leads for the heart monitor on his chest, and there was an IV in his left arm and left leg. She reached up and gently ran her hand over his left cheek and traced the jawline of the face that she enjoyed waking up to every morning. And there was the ever-present stubble. She had teased him this morning about growing a beard and smiled as she thought about that. He looked so much like a little boy when he was asleep. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. He was so still. Matt was always moving, always into something and was rarely still.

Uncle Roy reached over and patted his head. He remembered how Matt used to run up to him as a little boy and jump into his arms and demand a piggyback ride, and how he loved to go fishing. He was happier outdoors than in. Roy felt tears sting at his eyes. This man had been through more in his life than any ten people that Roy knew. But he was still the same, sweet, lovable kid that had demanded the piggyback rides. He and CJ stepped back so Hoyt could see him.

Hoyt looked at the man that he now called his best friend. He took his left hand and squeezed it, hoping that he would squeeze back, and felt a deep pain in his chest when he didn't. "I promise you, I'll find out who did this. I promise." He squeezed Matt's hand again.

"I'm sorry, CJ, but you'll have to go. We have to get him ready for surgery." Dr. Metcalfe led them back out into the hall. One of the nurses followed them out and handed CJ a bag that contained Matt's personal items. His cell phone began to ring. CJ pulled it out and looked at the caller ID. It was Mama Novelli, Vince's mom. With shaking hands CJ answered the phone.

"Hi, Mama. No, you dialed the right number. Well, Matt, uh, he's…" She broke down crying again. Uncle Roy took the phone. "Rosa? It's Roy. Matt got hurt earlier today but he's going to be alright." He walked up the hall a little ways and Hoyt took CJ by the hand and led her back to the bench. A couple of minutes later, Roy came back and handed the phone back to CJ. "She was calling to give him a recipe that he was asking Vince about this morning." Roy smiled. "He had big plans of cooking dinner for you Saturday night." He knelt down in front of CJ. "I need to talk to Michael for a minute. Will you be okay here?" She nodded her head and was dabbing at her eyes. Roy patted her on the knee and he and Hoyt walked a few feet away.

"Vince is on his way and he is major league pissed." Roy looked at Hoyt. "He wants to help me track down whoever did this." Hoyt nodded. "Good, because I think we're going to need help. But he's going to have to be your responsibility." Roy nodded. They both looked back at CJ who finally seemed to be calming down.

Hoyt turned back to Roy. "I'm going to go see what I can find out, but I don't want to leave her alone."

"I'll be here with her. But keep me in the loop." Roy headed back down to sit with CJ and Hoyt followed. He knelt down in front of her. "CJ, I'm going to go get to work on this thing, okay? If you need anything, anything at all, you call me, okay?" She nodded, leaned forward, and gave him a hug. "Thank you, Michael. I don't know what I would have done without you." She handed his jacket back to him. He patted her back and gave her a kiss on the cheek, then walked back out to his car.

CJ sat thinking for a minute. "I need to call Chris." She pulled out her phone and dialed the secretary's number. "Chris, Matt's at the hospital. He's got a broken arm and leg and a concussion, but he's going to be alright. They're taking him to surgery now to work on his arm." Roy watched her. She was getting control again. After a couple of minutes she hung up the phone, then called Hoyt's number. "No, no word yet. Look, I just talked to Chris. She's upstairs in the office gathering the security camera footage for you. Okay. Bye." Roy smiled at her.

"Aha, the private detective is back in action, hey?" He put his arm around her. She shook her head. "No the extremely angry wife wants to know who the hell did this so she can get her hands on them." The look on her face said that whoever was responsible wouldn't be walking away.

"That's my girl." He hugged her to him. "Would you like for me to pull the old cliché and ask if you want some really bad hospital coffee?"

"Actually, that would be great right now." She smiled at him. He got up and went down the hall for the coffee as CJ sat there and prayed for Matt.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

Hoyt sat with Chris on the couch in front of BABY as Matt's computer was affectionately called. They had found the footage from the time of the blast. "Okay, now go back a few minutes." Hoyt watched closely. "Hold it right there." There in front of them was the person responsible for planting the bomb. He had slid under Matt's truck and attached it, then popped back out from under the truck and got into a car that stopped to pick him up. "Can you zoom in on the license number?" Chris punched a couple of buttons and there it was: 7BHG876. "Gotcha." Hoyt dialed his cell phone. "Sanchez, run a license plate for me: 7 – Bravo – Henry – George – 876. Okay." He looked over at Chris. "You're pretty good at this. Do you help them a lot?"

"No, but you can't help but pick up on stuff around here. I feel so bad that I didn't go in there with CJ." She started to tear up. Hoyt reached over and patted her on the back. "It wouldn't have changed anything. Besides, he's Mr. Tough Guy, right?" Hoyt smiled over at the secretary. She nodded.

"What? Oh, great. How did I know? Okay. Thanks." He hung up. "It was reported stolen last night. Belongs to a little old lady in Rancho Cucamonga." He rolled his eyes. "Okay, let's go back to where he first walks into camera range." They sat and watched again. "Hold it there. Can you zoom in on his face? Damn it!" Hoyt got up and paced over to the window. "He knew the camera was there. That's one of those President Nixon masks." He came back to the couch and sat down.

"Okay, let's get a view of the elevator." He looked over at Chris who was hesitating. "Are you okay with this? We kind of need to know how Matt was injured."

The secretary nodded and found the camera angle that Hoyt needed. They both watched as the elevator doors opened and Matt started to take a step. Then they could see the shockwave from the blast hit him, lifting him off of his feet and throwing him against the rail at the back of the elevator, then slamming him to the floor. Hoyt looked at Chris. She looked as if she was going to throw up. He leaned back on the couch. "Can you make me a copy of this?"

"Sure thing." Chris did and handed him a disc. "Is there anything else I can do to help?"

"Not that I know of right now, but I may need some more help later. Have you talked to Roy?" He had started for the door.

"No." Chris closed up the computer.

"Vince Novelli is on his way here. He's going to be working with Roy on this thing." He looked around the office. "It's weird not hearing the two of them in here carrying on. Just too quiet."

Chris nodded. "I'll be glad to see Vince. He's really a great detective, Lieutenant."

"You know, you can call me Michael, I promise not to mind." He smiled at her. "I'll call you later if I find out anything. Will you be okay here by yourself?"

She nodded. "I wouldn't feel right not being here." He nodded and headed for the stairs.

Vince Novelli and his mother Rosa were at that very moment waiting for the plane that they were on to take off. He glanced at his mother. She had been extremely upset when she found out that Matt was hurt. But almost as quickly as she became upset, she got angry. Matt and CJ were just like her own children. Almost everyone called her Mama, but with Matt and CJ it was more than just a name. They really did think of her as a mother. Matt had never known his mother and CJ's mom had died when she was very young.

The plane taxied to the runway and began the takeoff. Vince was relieved when it was airborne. He hated just sitting on this plane. He wanted to be on the ground in LA right now finding out who had tried to kill his best friend. But Matt was more than his best friend: he considered him a brother. He smiled as he thought back to the day they had met.

Matt hadn't been in Los Angeles but a few months and had just gotten his private investigator's license. He was hired by the daughter of a lady who had been killed. He and Vince had butted heads on that case several times, but by the time it was over with, each had earned the respect of the other. That was the beginning of a great working relationship, which in turn led to the pair becoming best friends. Eventually, when Matt and CJ had come to their senses and admitted their love for each other, Vince was Matt's best man.

Rosa looked over at her son. He was looking out the window, deep in thought. She knew how upset he was. Matt had cradled him in his arms the day that he had been shot on the job. He caught the people responsible for the shooting. She knew that he felt like he was to blame for Vince's injuries and they had talked about it after her son was out of danger. Matt had apologized for it happening, but she had told him that there was no way he was at fault. It could just as easily been Matt that was shot. After Vince was out of the hospital, Matt had been there every day to help not just him, but his family. He had coached Vince's youngest son Tony's Little League team while Vince was unable to attend the games, and they had even won their division.

Mama knew how CJ must be feeling right now. She and Matt had always been so close, and their love for each other was apparent to everyone around them. Rosa smiled as she thought about the day that the two of them had showed up at the restaurant in Hawaii and announced their engagement. It was one of the happiest days of her life. Now, even though Roy had told her that Matt was going to be okay, she was still worried about him.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

CJ sat watching her husband. He hadn't opened his eyes yet. Dr. Metcalfe had explained that they were going to keep him sedated for the rest of the night. He knew how stubborn Matt was, and knew that he wouldn't rest like he needed to without being sedated. CJ knew it as well, but she just wanted him to open those beautiful brown eyes of his and talk to her. Just the sound of his voice made everything better for her.

She thought back to the day they had met. That was the day that they both fell in love, though at the time they were too young to know it. They had shared their first kiss that day. Although many years passed before they admitted it, it was always there, whether they acknowledged it or not. But once they did finally admit to their feelings, it was a whirlwind. In just a few weeks they were married and were now trying to start a family.

Roy had told her earlier that Vince was on his way, and she was glad. She knew that he, like Roy, Michael, and herself, wouldn't rest until the culprit was caught. Matt moved slightly and she jumped up and stood at his side, taking his hand in hers. She squeezed, felt him squeeze back and her heart beat faster. The door opened, and in walked Roy with Vince and Mama.

"He just squeezed my hand!" She was so excited that she wanted to shout it from the rooftops. Vince walked over and gave her a big hug, which was followed by a big hug from Mama. Matt stirred a little bit again. Roy took his hand and squeezed and he squeezed back, bringing tears to his uncle's eyes. "That-a-boy, Matt." He looked over at CJ and smiled.

Vince and Mama both got the same reaction from him. CJ told them what Dr. Metcalfe had said about keeping him sedated for the rest of the night. Vince just chuckled. "Yeah, well, maybe he didn't explain it to the cowboy here." They watched him, but he was still again. Mama turned to CJ and in her thick Italian accent started in. "And when was the last time you ate? Eh? If you and he are going to give me any grandchildren, you gotta eat." She smacked Vince on the arm. "Take her somewhere and make sure she eats. And something good, not something that you order from a clown's head, hey?"

CJ walked back to Matt's side and touched his hair. She leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Mama's going to stay with you for a little while, but I'll be back. Be good." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and everyone there saw a small grin appear on his face.

"Yep, he's gonna be fine." Vince felt a lot better now that he had actually seen Matt and knew that he was responding. He wrapped his arm around CJ's shoulders and led her out of the room and to the elevator. As they waited, he looked at her. She was just as beautiful as ever, even though it was obvious that she had cried a good bit that day. "Wow, I've got a date with Houston's lady!" He gave her a big smile. She laughed and put her head on his shoulder. "That's okay, he won't mind."

Over a chef's salad and iced tea, CJ told Vince exactly what had happened that morning. Vince noticed that although she was upset, she wasn't crying. And he also caught a hint of something else: CJ was mad. "I want to find out who did this, Vince, and I want them to pay." Her eyes were hard as steel, a look that he never remembered seeing before.

"Well, I want them to pay, too, and I don't particularly care if they make it to trial." He missed being a cop at times, but he was actually glad now that he wasn't; because now, he didn't have to play by all the rules that cops did.

After dinner, the two of them went back to the parking garage at the office. CJ's Navigator, which was parked next to Matt's truck, had been destroyed by the fire as well. Vince looked at the twisted metal of Matt's truck and shook his head. "I can't wait to get my hands on this guy."

"Matt is really going to be mad. He loved that truck." She looked at Vince and both of them laughed. "No, seriously, he had that thing special ordered and it had everything on there that he wanted, just like he wanted it. He's going to go ballistic when he finds out." She looked over at Murray's parking space. His car had been badly damaged as well, but Chris' car right next to it only had minor paint damage. They walked back out and caught a cab back to the hospital.

Back in Matt's hospital room, Roy and Rosa had been talking in whispers in an effort to let Matt sleep. He told her what CJ had said to him about catching the person responsible. "I don't believe I've ever heard her talk like that before. Those two are so crazy about each other…I do believe that she'll try to kill whoever did it." They exchanged a look. "But if the tables were turned, you know Matt would do the same thing." They looked over at his nephew. He hadn't moved anymore since CJ left and appeared to be resting easy.

Hoyt walked into the room and went to Roy's side. He gave Mama a hug. "It's good to see you again. Where's Vince?" Roy told him that he had taken CJ to dinner. "Good. She was so upset this morning…I was really worried about her. Look, can we talk outside for a minute?" Roy nodded and followed him out. There were two officers posted on Matt's door.

"How's he doing, Lieutenant?" Sgt. Larry Carlisle had known Matt for several years now.

"They've got him doped up so he'll sleep right now. But he's going to be okay, Sarge." Hoyt and Roy walked a little ways up the hall. "I saw the video of the guy who planted the bomb. He knew the cameras were there: he was wearing a Nixon mask." Roy let out a disgusted sigh. "And I saw what happened to Matt. The blast lifted him up and threw him against the back of the elevator. The railing is what tore up his arm and hitting the floor evidently broke his leg. His head hit the back wall." He looked down the hall toward Matt's room. "It's a miracle he's not hurt worse – or dead."

Roy nodded. "I was wondering, did anyone else get hurt?"

"No, and that in itself is amazing when you consider how much traffic goes in and out of there. The bomber was picked up by someone in a stolen car. Original, huh?" He was getting irritated.

"Well, maybe the CSI's can tell us more about the bomb. The switch, what it was made of, anything like that can help track down the lowlife." He had dealt many times with car bombings during his career with the CIA.

CJ and Vince came out of the elevator and stopped to talk to Hoyt and Roy. "Has he done anything else?" Although she knew it wasn't likely, she still hoped that Matt would wake up soon.

"No, he's been sleeping good." Roy put his arm around her and held her close. Vince and Hoyt shook hands.

"Vince, I know you want to help, and believe me, I'm glad for it. But you're going to be under Roy's supervision, okay? You know how it is." He hoped Vince wouldn't take it the wrong way.

"Oh, yeah, I know. And to tell you the truth, I'm glad. Because now I don't have to worry about so many rules." He smiled at Hoyt. "Guess Houston finally rubbed off on me after all this time."

Hoyt smiled himself. "Believe me, you're not the only one."

"I'm going back in there. You boys let me know if you find out anything." She turned and headed up the hall where she stopped to talk to the two officers guarding her husband's room, then went on in to check on him.

"You know, Vince, I owe you an apology." Hoyt looked at the man who had once had his job.

"No you don't, man, you were just doing your job." Vince was referring to an event a couple of years ago when Hoyt had arrested him for allegedly stealing cocaine from the evidence lockup.

"Well, yes I do, for that and more. I hated doing that, more than you'll ever know. God knows I thought Houston was going to shoot me for it." They both laughed. "But when I first got transferred in, I was so sick of hearing "Novelli and Houston didn't do it that way." Or "Houston and Novelli always…"" He shook his head. "I thought you were crazy for trusting him with so much, but now I understand. And I'm exactly the same way you were. Sometimes I don't know what I would do without him. He's saved my life and my job." Hoyt told him about what had happened recently when he was accused of taking bribes. "Matt, CJ, and Roy were right there with me. They dropped everything and didn't quit until it was over - even when I thought about quitting myself. Matt got so mad at me for wanting to give up." He laughed. "You know, he would have made a good drill sergeant." All three men laughed over that one. "Well, I'm going to go home and get some sleep and hit the ground running tomorrow. I guess I'll see you guys then. Roy, if you need anything let me know, okay?" The three shook hands and Hoyt got on the elevator and left.

"Guess he's a pretty good guy after all." Vince had wanted to strangle the man that had replaced him in the department after he was arrested, but knew deep down that he was only doing as he had been ordered.

"I think you two will be good friends before this is all over." Roy and Vince walked back up the hall to Matt's room. After talking with the two officers posted on the door, the pair went inside to find CJ curled up in a chair beside Matt's bed, holding his hand and resting her head on the rails. She was asleep.

"I tried to talk her into going home, but she won't leave him," Mama whispered to the two men.

"I knew she wouldn't." Roy looked in the room's closet and found a blanket that he covered her with, then kissed her on the head. "Tell you what; I'm just going to spend the night at the ranch with you two. Then tomorrow we'll see about getting things back to normal – or as normal as it ever gets."


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

"CJ? CJ? Wake up." Uncle Roy was bending over her trying to wake her up without waking Matt. She woke up and looked at Roy, then over at her husband, who was still sleeping peacefully. After untangling her legs from their cramped position in the chair she got up and walked outside the room with him. "How did he do last night?" Roy pushed a stray strand of hair away from her face.

"He's been out like a light." She yawned.

"And how did you sleep?" Roy knew there was no way that she could have been comfortable in that chair.

"Okay." She stretched and looked at her watch. "Have you heard anything else from Hoyt?" Roy told her what Hoyt had told him last night – except for the details of Matt's injuries. CJ shook her head. "We've got to find out who did this." She looked around, then back at Uncle Roy. "I'm afraid they might try again – and we might not be so lucky." Fear and anger were in her eyes and voice.

Roy took her in his arms. "I know, CJ. We're doing everything we can. I'm waiting for the report on the bomb – what it was made of, what kind of switch it had. That can help us figure out who made it. And also if there were any fingerprints found on anything."

"Okay, so how do you think we need to approach this?" She looked at Roy.

"Well, some of us need to take care of ourselves, or certain other ones of us will NOT be happy when they wake up and find out." He gave her a stern look that was met with one almost as stern. She opened her mouth to reply but Roy beat her to it.

"CJ, there is no use in arguing. There are more of us than there is of you." He smiled at her. "Besides, Rosa wants another grandchild – you're supposed to be working on that as well, you know."

She smiled at him and gave him a big hug. "Uncle Roy, believe me, I would love nothing better than to only have to worry about getting pregnant. But right now, I've got a husband that someone is trying to kill and that just doesn't set well with me." She stood back from him. "I'm going back in there. I want to be there when he wakes up."

Roy watched her go and thought how much she and Matt were alike. He would have reacted exactly the same way. He followed her into the room. She was standing at the side of the bed, rubbing Matt's cheek and smiling. Matt slowly started to open his eyes. He looked at her for a second, and then closed his eyes tightly. He opened them again. "CJ?"

"Hi, handsome." She was so happy to see those dark eyes looking at her again. He tried to move, then discovered that it wasn't a good idea. "Easy. Don't try to move, okay baby?" She continued to rub his cheek. His eyes were closed tightly against the pain. He opened them again. "Somebody else is here that would like to see you, too." She stepped to the side and let Roy come up closer to Matt. He took his nephew's hand and squeezed it and Matt returned it.

"What in the world is going on, Uncle Roy?" He was a little hoarse, but Roy was so glad to hear that voice.

"Well, you've got a broken leg, your right arm is broken in two places and being held together with pins at the moment, you've got a lot of bruising on your back and shoulders, and I'll bet you've got one dillywhopper of a headache, doncha?" Roy smiled down at him.

"Yeah, you could say that. What did I do?" He was trying to move again and Roy gently pushed him back down.

"Don't do that or they'll come in here and give you another shot to knock you out." He stepped back and let CJ come back over.

"Will somebody please tell me what in the hell happened? I was going to meet Hoyt and I got on the elevator to go to the parking garage. But after that I'm lost." He was getting impatient, so Roy decided to tell him the truth.

"Somebody put a bomb under your truck. The blast threw you back into the elevator – and here we are." He watched his nephew's reaction.

"A bomb? Under my truck." He looked up at the ceiling. "Is everybody else okay?"

"You're the only one who got hurt." CJ rubbed his cheek again.

"Who was it?" Matt couldn't imagine who in the world he had ticked off recently that would have done that.

"We don't know yet. We're waiting for the report on the makeup of the bomb. The guy who planted it was wearing a mask and left in a stolen car." That got the reception that he expected. Matt rolled his eyes at the ceiling, closed them in pain, and then opened them again.

Mama and Vince came into the room then. "Aha, so he decided to quit being lazy and wake up." Vince walked up to the side of the bed and shook Matt's left hand.

"What are you doing here?" Matt couldn't believe his eyes. Then he saw Mama, who walked up and leaned over the bed rails to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Hi, Mama." He gave her a big smile.

"That's what I was hoping to see last night." She gave him another kiss.

"So what are y'all doing here, Vince?" He was still confused.

"What? I have to make an appointment to see you these days?" Vince tried his best to look offended. Then he got serious. "I don't appreciate it when somebody tries to kill my best friend. I'm looking for some payback."

"Ya know, Isabella might not be too thrilled to hear you say that." He was referring to Vince's wife. "By the way, how are my boys doing?" Matt was crazy about Vince's sons and the feeling was mutual.

"They're fine. I talked to Isabella this morning. I left before they got out of school yesterday, so they didn't know what was going on until late yesterday afternoon. She said Tony was crying at first – then he got so mad he could have taken out the whole offensive line of the Cowboys." He smiled. Tony was his youngest son, who absolutely idolized Matt.

"That's my boy." Matt started to laugh, then decided against it due to the pain in his head and the rest of his body. He closed his eyes for a minute and everyone thought that he had gone back to sleep. He opened them again and looked at Roy. "Okay, how are we gonna approach this thing?"

Roy and CJ exchanged a look and started laughing. "Seems like I've already heard that question this morning." He put his arm around CJ. "Some of us are going to approach this thing in a logical but purposeful manner." He indicated Vince and himself. "Some of us are going to keep an eye on others of us." He pointed to Mama and then Matt. "And others of us will get some real sleep and then keep an eye on others of us." He pointed at CJ and then Matt again.

Matt looked at CJ with a lifted brow. "What is he trying to tell me that I don't want to hear, CJ?" His gaze at his wife was as steady as ever.

"I have no idea." She leaned over and kissed her husband. "You know how he tends to exaggerate."

Matt took her hand. "If I find out you're not taking care of yourself, Mrs. Houston…" He pulled her to him, and put his hand on the back of her head and kissed her. He whispered in her ear. "You better take care of yourself – because there might be somebody else in there, ya know." He looked at her. "Please?"

She nodded. "Promise." She gave him a kiss back – this one lasting considerably longer than the first one. Matt's nurse walked in just then.

"Uh huh, just what I expected. I heard you two got married." Sheila had been Matt's nurse on several occasions and had also tried to tell them that they should be married.

When Matt saw who was there, he gave her a big grin. "Hi, Sheila." She came up and took his pulse then looked at CJ. "Girl, you better not get his pulse racing like that." She winked at her. "Now, mister, you and I need to get a few things straight." Matt's expression changed to one of stubbornness. "You try to get up outta this bed and I'll have you in restraints so quick you won't know what hit you. Got it?"

Matt's eyes lit up. "Now, Sheila, you know I'm a married man, you can't be doing things like that to me anymore." She smacked his hand. "Boy, you are just as rotten as ever." She patted the hand she had just slapped. "And I'm darn glad to see it. You had me worried." She turned to what was becoming a crowd in the room. "And all of y'all have been here enough times to see this trouble maker that you know we can't have too many in here at one time. Somebody's gotta take a number and wait." She winked at all of them, checked Matt's IV and headed for the door. "Seriously, though, we can't have too many in here, okay?" With that she walked out the door.

Roy decided it was time to take charge. "Okay. Let's get down to business. CJ, you need to go find some new wheels." He handed his car keys to Vince. "I think you should go with her to keep her out of trouble." Vince nodded his head.

"What do you mean "new wheels"?" Matt looked at Roy.

"Her Navigator was parked next to your truck, remember? Both of 'em are toast." He looked at Vince and CJ. "Get a move on."

"Yes, sir." CJ gave Matt another kiss. "You be good and I'll be back later."

"After…" Matt looked at her with the raised eyebrow again.

"Yes, dear, after I get new wheels and a nap. Love you." She gave him a peck on the cheek and then turned to Mama. "Keep a good eye on him for me."

"Got it." Mama gave her the thumbs up.

"Later, dude." Vince gave a mock salute and left with CJ.

"Now that we're down to acceptable numbers…" Roy pulled a chair up next to the bed. "Have you ticked anybody off that I don't know about – recently?"

His nephew thought for a minute. "You've been right with us on everything, Uncle Roy. I can't think of who it could be unless…" He looked at his uncle. "Do you think it could be the drug supplier in Mexico that lost one of his distributors when all that with Hoyt happened?" Matt was talking about the problem that they had helped Hoyt with recently when he was accused of taking a bribe. The drug supplier was tied to the stolen car ring leader and the drug dealer that had made allegations against Hoyt. They, with the help of the DEA, had shut down the operation on the US side of the border.

"Yeah, I thought of him." Roy was writing it down in a notebook. "Anybody else?"

"Nobody…" Matt yawned, "is coming to mind."

Sheila came back in just then with his breakfast: cherry gelatin. Matt made a face. "Don't you be giving me any lip, mister, you know the drill. Eat this, then you'll get real food later – that is if you behave." She winked at him and left the room just as Hoyt came in. He gave a broad smile when he saw that Matt was awake.

"Hi, there, long time no see." He shook Matt's left hand. "Glad to see you awake. Oh, and look what we have here – your favorite – gelatin. Yum yum!"

"You know, Hoyt, you can have it if you really want it. Sheila won't know the difference." Matt grinned at his friend, who turned around and looked at the door that the nurse had just gone through. "No, thank you, that sister has been my nurse before and you DO NOT want to cross her." He looked over at Roy. "I met CJ and Vince in the hallway. Are you ready?"

"Yep." Roy got up and scooted the chair back. "Boy, you better behave yourself or Rosa and Sheila are going to put a whoopin' on you the size of Texas." He shook his nephew's hand. "Love you, boy."

"Love you, too, Uncle Roy." Matt's eyes were starting to get droopy looking.

Hoyt and Roy walked out of the room and Mama came over to take charge of Matt's breakfast. "Okay, here you go, open up." She started feeding him the gelatin and talking about feeding babies. Just as she was about to give him the last bite she looked up: he was asleep. She adjusted the covers on him and gave him a kiss on the forehead.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

As Hoyt and Roy were stepping out of the elevator in the hospital lobby, Roy's phone rang. "Hello? Hi, Chris. Yes, he woke up just a little while ago. Oh, yeah, he's plenty sore. What's that? Ah hah, that sounds like a good idea. Let me run it by Michael. Hang on a second." He turned to the police detective. "I believe Chris has a good idea. She wants to know what you think about her going back through the security videos for the last few days to see if there is anyone suspicious on there, you know, casing the joint so to speak."

"That's a great idea. Tell her thanks." Hoyt nodded his head and opened the door for Roy. They headed toward the undercover car. Roy finished talking to Chris and got in the passenger side. Hoyt started the car and backed out of the parking space. "Sanchez called me – the report on the bomb is waiting on us."

"I hope we can get something out of it – otherwise…" Roy looked out of the window. "CJ is afraid that whoever it is will try again. And she's not alone."

Back at the office, Chris was going through a week's worth of security videos. She was working on the video from the past Sunday when she noticed a car that went through the garage twice at a very slow speed. Rewinding the video, she watched it again, then zoomed in on the license plate and wrote the number down. The driver's face couldn't be seen, but she could make out the passenger and zoomed in and took a screenshot of his face. Not knowing what else to do, she called Hoyt.

"Hi, Lieutenant, it's Chris. Look, I think I may have found something on the videos. I've got a plate number and a picture of the passenger." She took a sip of coffee. "Sure, I'll be here. Bye."

Matt slept for a couple of hours, then woke up when Dr. Metcalfe came to check on him. "How're you feeling?" He was checking to make sure there wasn't too much swelling in the arm.

"Oh, I'm alright." Matt tried to sound like nothing had ever happened. "When can I get out of here, Doc?"

Metcalfe looked at him and laughed. "I wondered how long it would take you to ask that. What's the matter is Sheila being too rough on you?"

"No, no of course not. She's absolutely wonderful, as always. I've just got things to do…you know." He was trying really hard not to let the doctor know how bad he was hurting.

"Well, I think we should keep you here at least another day, maybe two." The doctor was updating Matt's information in the computer next to his bed.

"Are you sure? I'm fine really." He looked up as Sheila came through the door.

"He asked already, didn't he Doc?" She crossed her arms and gave Matt a look.

"Yup. Just like you said." The doctor looked over at Matt. "You're staying at least one more day. No questions." Then in a whisper he added, "Good luck!" Out the door he went.

Mama had been sitting quietly watching the whole thing play out and started laughing as the doctor left the room. Matt looked over at her. "Whose side are you on, anyway?" She stood up and walked over next to the bed and in her thick Italian accent she said, "I'm on your side_, il mio amore_. Always, you know that. But you and I also know that you're hurting right now and you need to rest." She patted him on the cheek.

"I'm fine, Mama. I just want to go home." Matt looked up at her with those brown eyes and a pitiful expression. "I hate hospitals."

"Of course you do, we would be worried about you otherwise, eh?" She put down the rail on the side of the bed and sat down next to him. She started rubbing his forehead. "You've still got that headache." Matt started getting drowsy. "They need to make sure you don't get an infection in your arm. Let them do their job, eh? And you rest. You spend so much time taking care of everyone else; it's time for us to take care of you." His eyes were getting heavier.

"Mama, I just want to be at home – with CJ." He was fighting to stay awake.

"You will be, soon enough." She continued rubbing his forehead and in less than a minute, he was asleep. She looked at Sheila. "I think he has a fever."

Sheila walked over to check on his IV and his temperature. She smiled at Mama. "You're good. My grandmother could do that to folks, too." She put the thermometer in his ear. "Yep, he sure does." She showed it to Mama. It read 101 degrees. "We may have to change his antibiotics. I'm going to go catch Dr. Metcalfe before he gets too far away." She left the room and Mama leaned forward and kissed Matt on the forehead.

By 11:00, CJ had her new Navigator and was heading to the ranch. Vince had told her she better get a good nap in, or Mama would skin both of them. When she got there, Bo and Lamar, Houston's ranch hands met her in the driveway. "How's he doin'?" Bo picked up two of the bags of groceries that she had stopped for on her way home. "Well, he woke up and was talking to us this morning." She was beaming. "That's good; we've sure been worried about him." Lamar picked up two more bags and the cowboys followed her into the kitchen. She put everything down on the table and looked at the pair. "Guys, I'm sorry I didn't call you yesterday. I was just…" She shook her head. "It shook me up – bad. I'm sorry."

"You don't have nothin' to be sorry about it." Lamar patted her shoulder. "Besides, we were out in the hills yesterday lookin' for strays. Them little phones don't always work up there." He looked at her. "If you need anything you just holler at us, okay? Roy told us to keep an extra good eye out for any trouble makers."

CJ nodded. "I sure appreciate it. Guess I better get this stuff put up. Oh, by the way, would you two mind helping with a surprise for Matt?"

Bo piped up. "Sure thing, what do you need us to do?"

"Well, I'm expecting a delivery later today, but I will probably be at the hospital. Could y'all open the door for them and then lock up afterwards? I've already told them where to put it." She pulled a gallon of milk out of one of the bags.

"Yes, ma'am we can sure do it." Lamar opened the refrigerator for her.

"Thanks, guys, I really appreciate it." She yawned.

The two cowboys left and she put away the groceries then headed back to take a shower. As she climbed into the hot water, she thought about how crazy the last twenty four hours had been. Matt had seen many close calls over the years. She wondered how much longer he would continue to stay in harm's way.

When she finished her shower, she dressed in a pair of sweats and one of Matt's old football jerseys. She started to climb into the bed, but just couldn't: he wasn't there. Instead she padded into the den and settled into his recliner. It smelled like his favorite cologne and made her feel closer to him. In a couple of minutes she was dreaming.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

"Vince! Gosh, it seems like forever since I've seen you!" Chris jumped up and ran from behind her desk and gave him a big hug.

"Seems like a lot longer than four months, doesn't it?" He looked around. "Doesn't seem much different." They stood there. "Except it's too quiet."

Chris nodded. "It's been about to drive me crazy. I mean it's one thing when they're out working on something or on vacation, but when they're gone because of something like this – it just gets to me, you know?"

"Yep. Roy called me and told me about the suspicious guy on the video. Think you could show it to me?" The former police detective put his arm around Chris and the two of them walked into the main part of the office. "Man, I've missed this place." Chris turned the computer on and found the footage that Vince was asking about.

"Yeah, that guy definitely looks hinky. Is this the plate number?" He saw the pad of paper with the license number on it.

"That's it. Lt. Hoyt is supposed to be here in a little while."

"Well, let's see if anybody down at the department will still give me the time of day, whatcha say?" He grinned as he picked up the phone and dialed the number. "Hey, Sarge, it's Vince. Pretty good, how about you? Yeah, I'm in his office right now. I'm working with Roy and Hoyt trying to catch the sorry…yeah, that about sums it up." He laughed again. "Listen, we've got a plate number that we need some info on…ready?" He winked at Chris. "Okay, it's 6 – Roger- Yankee- Roger- 341. Okay." He waited. "Yeah? Lemme have it." He wrote down a name and address. "And it wasn't reported as stolen, right? Good. Thanks a lot, Bob. Yeah, I'll tell him. Bye."

Vince turned to Chris. "Now we're getting somewhere." Right then Roy and Hoyt walked in. "Where are we getting, Vince?" Hoyt stepped over the back of the couch just like Houston and everyone else did – except Uncle Roy.

"I swear you people have no idea how to treat furniture, do you?" He walked down the steps and sat down next to Michael on the couch. In unison, both Hoyt and Vince answered "Houston does it." Roy just shook his head. Chris leaned forward and said, "CJ does it!" and leaned back smiling. "Not you, as well, my dear? And I had such high hopes for you." All of them cracked up.

Vince became serious. "I just talked to Bob Peterson and got him to run the plate that Chris came up with: it wasn't stolen and belongs to a guy over on Sawtelle Blvd." He handed the paper to Hoyt. He picked up the phone and called Peterson back. "See if we have a record on this guy Daniel Patrick Fallon. Yeah, that's the one." He looked over at Chris. "This sounds like a good lead. Way to go, Chris." Peterson came back on the line. "Yeah, I'm here. Uh huh. Oh, really? Yeah, that's very interesting. Thanks." He hung up and looked over at Roy. "Has Houston ticked off anybody in the Irish mob lately?"

"Not that I know about. But I'll go ask him." Roy took out his notebook and wrote something down.

Hoyt stood up and headed toward the elevator, then looked back. "Well, aren't you coming, Vince?"

Vince jumped up, tossed Roy the keys to his car, and took off over the back of the couch. "Sorry, Roy, I'm kinda in a hurry." He snickered as he and Hoyt headed to the elevator. Roy looked over at Chris. "You did a great job. Thank you." She just smiled. "At least I feel like I've done something now. I haven't been to see him yet. Do you think it would be okay?"

"Sure. He might not be awake, but I know Rosa would love to see you." Roy stood up, looked at the stairs and then looked at the couch. "Oh, what the hell. Houston does it." He grinned, then stepped up on the couch and over the back. He started whistling on his way to the elevator. "Do you want to head over there with me?" He turned back to Chris.

"Uh, well, thanks Uncle Roy, but…"Just then the elevator doors opened and out walked Murray Chase, CEO of Houston Industries.

"Roy, I just found out about what happened this morning. I was in Japan, but got back here as fast as I could. How's he doing?" Murray, as always, seemed on the verge of a panic attack.

"He's doing pretty good. He was awake and talking to us this morning. But…"He turned back toward Chris and winked, "I've got the feeling you're about to find out for yourself anyway." He got on the elevator and began whistling again.

Vince climbed into Michael's car and they started heading west toward Sawtelle Blvd. He looked over at Hoyt. "What about the report on the bomb?"

"Nothing definitive. Just your average remote-detonated-I-learned-how-to-make-it-on-the-internet bomb. No prints, either." He was obviously irritated. "I'm willing to bet that he set it off from across the street. If someone had a pair of binoculars they could see when Matt came down in the elevator and then boom – set it off."

Vince glanced back over at him and said, "I've gotta tell you, I hated you for a while."

Hoyt just smiled. "I can understand that. I would've hated you if the tables were turned."

"Matt thinks a lot of you, though, and that's good enough for me." Vince looked around at the neighborhood. "Plus, I know back when I was on the force I was railroaded into arresting a few folks that I knew were innocent. Of course, Houston was always there to prove they weren't." Both men laughed.

"Yeah, he definitely has a knack for doing that." Hoyt looked over at Vince. "Guess we both had a lot to learn…too bad the lesson had to come from Houston, huh?"

"Don't you just hate it when he's right?" Vince laughed. "He called me yesterday morning wanting a recipe for something that Mama made for him one time. Wanted to make it for CJ Saturday night." He shook his head. "I was teasing him about making bottles and changing diapers. You know what he told me?" Hoyt shook his head no. "He said, "Well, believe it or not, I already know how to change diapers but I can't wait to learn how to make bottles." If somebody had told me three years ago that those words would come out of his mouth I would have told them they were crazy."

Hoyt smiled and nodded. "He's happy as can be, Vince. They are so crazy about each other it's scary, you know?" They rode in silence for a while. Then Hoyt spoke. "When I pulled up in the parking garage yesterday and saw him lying there…" He shook his head. "Man, I thought he was gone. And CJ, that poor girl was a total wreck. She's always so cool and calm, but she came close to completely losing it yesterday." They rode in silence for a minute. "You know, I think he's having thoughts about quitting."

"I've had that impression a couple of times when I've talked to him, too. He hasn't come right out and said it, but he's hinted at the fact that he's thinking about expanding the herd at the ranch. And really, who could blame the guy?" Vince looked at the address he had written down. "It should be up ahead on the right."

Hoyt stopped the car a couple of houses down. There in the drive was the car in question. "This guy is a button man for the Irish mob. He's also been known to freelance, so right now we don't have any clear proof that this is related to the mob."

"Maybe we should just keep an eye on him for a little while. We might be able to figure out who he's working for on this." Vince took a good look around.

"Houston's got a van that he uses for surveillance." He looked over at Vince. "You know that man has been working with Derwin Dunlap on a program called BugBytes? It works, too, very well. He used a lot of them to help prove I was innocent of the bribery charges." He put the car in gear and pulled away from the curb. "He's even been working with him on video games, if you can believe that."

"With Houston? I can believe anything." He laughed. "What I can't figure out is where in the hell does he find the time to do all that he does?"

"Who knows?" Hoyt turned right at the next intersection and headed back toward the station. "I'm kind of afraid to ask." Both men started laughing. "Tell you what, would you give Roy a call and ask him about using the van? And we may need CJ's help with that program, I haven't actually used it."

Vince pulled out his phone and called Roy. "Hey. Michael and I just took a look at the house that our suspect lives in. We were wondering about using Matt's van…" He listened to Roy's reply and nodded at Hoyt. "Yeah, and he said maybe we could…" Roy jumped in again. Vince was smiling and nodding at Hoyt. "Right, that's what we were thinking. Okay, well I'll go back to the office and…" Roy jumped in again. "Okay, see ya then." He hung up. "You know, I think he's been around Houston too much." Both men rolled their eyes and chuckled.

Chris and Murray stepped off of the elevator at the hospital and walked up to the door of Houston's room. Neither of the officers knew them and one stepped inside Houston's room to check with Mama. She came to the door and gave both of them a big hug. "Come on in. He's asleep right now, but he will probably wake up pretty soon." As they stepped inside, he was in fact starting to wake up. He opened his eyes and saw Chris and gave her a smile. "Hey, how's it goin'?"

"I'm fine, but you sure have had us worried." She leaned over and gave her boss a kiss on the cheek. Murray slid up next to her and shook Matt's hand. "What's the big idea of tearing up the parking garage, Big Guy?" He used to call Matt that all the time when he was his accountant. Since Matt had split his businesses and made Houston Industries into a money-maker for charity, he had given Murray the job of CEO. Matt no longer had any ties to it and was much happier, as was Murray.

Matt smiled. "Well, it wasn't exactly my idea. Can you believe it? I finally get my dream truck and some knucklehead comes along and blows it to smithereens." He shook his head, then wished that he hadn't as the pain shot through it. He closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he looked over at Mama. "Have you heard anything out of CJ?" He wanted her to rest but he missed her.

"No, not yet. Hopefully she's getting some sleep." She sat back down in one of the chairs.

"So, what have you two been up to lately?" Matt gave Murray a smile and a wink. Murray and Chris had started dating recently and were the talk of the whole Houston building.

"Oh, not much." Murray blushed. "I'm going to make dinner for her Saturday night." He smiled at Houston who chuckled.

"Bet I know what you're going to fix, too." He gave Murray a thumbs up. Murray had recently cooked lasagna while he was staying at the ranch during another case that involved a girl he was dating. He looked over at Chris. "So what's going on with the creep who did this? Do y'all have any leads yet?"

Chris looked at Mama. She wasn't sure if she should tell him anything. Mama nodded her head. "Well, I found video of the guy cruising through the parking garage Sunday afternoon – scoping it out and seeing where the cameras were. Vince ran the plate and Michael had the guy's record pulled. He works for the Irish mob."

Matt's expression became dark. "Irish mob, huh? Well, as far as I know…" He stopped. He wondered if Elizabeth's family had any ties to the mob. She was an Irish heiress that he had almost made the mistake of marrying a while back. He found out that her family was tied to the IRA. Now he wondered.

"You okay, boss?" Chris saw the expression on his face.

"Yeah, just thinking." He wondered if Elizabeth's brother could have anything to do with the explosion, but he didn't want to say anything about it in front of Chris, Mama, or Murray. "Mama, do you know where Uncle Roy is?"

"He is right here." Roy walked through the door. "What do you need, boy?" He saw the look on Matt's face.

"Guys, could I talk to Uncle Roy for a minute – alone, please? I'm sorry, it's…" he hated to ask them that, but he really needed to let Roy know.

"No problem at all, Big Guy. I guess I better get this lady back to work before her boss finds out." He smiled as he shook Matt's hand again. "Glad you're going to be okay. If you need anything, just let me know." Matt thanked him and Chris gave him another kiss on the cheek. "I'll be at the office if you need anything, okay?" He nodded. Mama followed the two of them out into the hallway.

"Chris just told me about the guy from the video on Sunday. She said he works for the Irish mob. You don't suppose…" Before he could finish Roy jumped in. "Elizabeth's family? I came here to ask you the same question." The two men thought for a minute. "I know her brother was linked to the IRA, but I don't know about the mob." Matt thought for another minute. "They wouldn't have anything to gain from it though, and Elizabeth was the one who ended things …" He hated to even think about her.

Roy nodded. "I doubt that it has anything to do with either of them. But we just don't have any way of knowing. Better to be aware of the possibility." He pulled a chair over by the bed. "Vince and Hoyt are going to be using the van to keep an eye on the guy's house. Probably put a couple of your "critters" in there, too." He used Matt's favorite term for the BugBytes surveillance bugs and cameras.

"That's dangerous, Uncle Roy. And you know Hoyt can't actually do it." He didn't want anyone else to get hurt.

"Vince is planning on taking care of it. He is an "apprentice" to us now, you know." Roy grinned at Matt.

"Oh, boy, that could be interesting." He smiled, but then got serious again. "I'm worried, though, Uncle Roy."

"Well, you know, you aren't the only one who knows how to do detective work, Matt." He understood his nephew's concern but knew that they really didn't have a choice. He watched Matt. He was getting tired again and his eyes looked glassy. "You need to get some rest, boy." Sheila came through the door carrying Matt's lunch: a burger and fries. "Here you go, Mike Hammer. Lunchtime." She smiled as she put the tray on his table. "I even brought you extra ketchup."

"You're the best, Sheila." Matt smiled up at her. She came over and checked his temperature. "Good boy. You're down to 99. Almost normal. Is that even possible for you?" She loved to tease him.

"Probably not." He attempted to scoot up in the bed and immediately regretted the move.

"No, sir, don't even try that again." Sheila was right by his side. He had gone completely white. "You let us take care of that, okay hon?" Matt just nodded his head, his eyes still closed. She and Roy pulled him up in the bed using the chuck that he was lying on. Matt's breathing had gotten faster, he was still white, and his eyes were still closed. Sheila patted his arm. "Darlin', are you okay?" He opened his eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine." He picked up a French fry with a shaking hand and started eating it. "Okay, I'll be back to check on you in a little bit, stay out of trouble, you hear me, mister?" She patted his arm again and left.

Mama stuck her head back inside the door. "Is it safe now?" Roy walked over to her. "I need to talk to you outside for a minute." They walked out and up the hall a little way. "He's hurting more than he's letting on. He tried to scoot up in the bed a minute ago and darn near passed out." He looked at Rosa. "I'd like to get him back to the ranch as soon as possible – he would be easier to protect there. I'm going to see about arranging for a private nurse." She nodded.

As they started back toward the room, Rosa stopped and looked at Roy. "I know it's none of my business, but that woman that Matt was engaged to before, she was Irish…"

Roy nodded. "That's what we were talking about. Her brother was hooked up with the IRA. But like Matt said, they wouldn't gain anything by killing him, and they were after his money in the first place."

She looked around. "Just in case, what does this woman look like? Because if she so much as tries to get in that room with him…" She let the threat hang in the air.

Roy smiled at her. "Ah, the passionate Italian woman."

Rosa swatted his arm. He then described Elizabeth to her, and she was definitely not impressed. "Humph. He's much better off with CJ."


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

CJ woke up to a quiet house. She felt much better after having slept a few hours and decided to get dressed and go back to keep an eye on Matt and give Mama a much-needed break. While she was getting dressed, she thought about how much Matt hated hospitals and how much safer he would be at the ranch.

About 3:00, CJ walked through the door of Matt's room and found him asleep. Sheila was sitting in the room with him. She got up and walked over to CJ. "I'm taking my break in here so Mrs. Novelli could go get a bite to eat. Ya know she and Roy are a cute couple." CJ nodded. "How's he doing?"

"Well, you know how he is: wants to go home, doesn't want us to know how bad he's hurting, the usual for him." They both watched him sleep. "But I'll tell you what, he scared me earlier. He tried to scoot up in the bed and the pain almost made him pass out. Not that he would admit it for anything."

"That's Matt." She walked over and lightly kissed his forehead. He didn't budge. "I don't know how much you've heard about what happened…" CJ walked back over to Sheila, who nodded. "I know what I saw on the news and what I've overheard here. Sounds like somebody is out to get him." CJ nodded. "It does. I want to get him a private nurse…" The door opened and Roy and Rosa walked into the room.

"Did I hear private nurse?" Roy looked over at Matt who was still sleeping.

"I've been thinking about it. We need to get him back home, the quicker the better, am I right Uncle Roy?" She knew how hard it was to protect him in the hospital even with two police officers guarding the door.

"That's exactly what we were talking about. We need to find somebody that we can trust…and that won't get scared easy."

"Well, sugar, I'm right here. I've got three weeks of vacation starting tomorrow." Sheila had her hands on her hips.

"Taking care of Matt wouldn't be much of a vacation would it?" CJ looked at her in surprise.

"Let me tell you something. I think the world of that man. I give him down the road while he's here 'cause he needs to know who's boss, but out of all of the patients I've ever had, he's my favorite." She walked over to Roy. "Dr. Metcalfe is planning on releasing him tomorrow morning. Where do I sign up?"

CJ looked at Roy and Rosa with a smile. "Well, I guess that problem just worked itself out." Just then her phone vibrated and she looked at the ID. "It's Vince. Hi, what's going on?" She stepped toward the door of Matt's room. "Sure. The password is cowboy. All lowercase. Yeah, I know original, guess who set it?" She gave a giggle. "Okay, do you see it on the desktop? Alright, double click on it. Okay, now you need to know the bug's number. They're on the bottom of each one. Yeah, that's it. Now look on the left hand side of the screen. Find that number, click on it, then click where it says activate. Really hard to use, huh? Yep, they work great. Really good pictures and sound. Alright, well call me if you need me. And hey, be careful, okay? I will. 'Bye." She put her phone back in her purse. "Okay, Vince is getting ready to keep an eye on the idiot." She looked at Roy. "He says he'll meet you in the parking garage. You two be extra careful, okay?" She gave Roy a hug and a kiss.

"I always am." He kissed her back.

"You need to come up with a better answer; that's what HE says all the time." She jerked her head in Matt's direction.

"Well, I'm going to go watch the "idiot" with Vince. See you girls later." Roy walked on out of the room.

"And my break-time is over." Sheila started to leave.

"Wait a minute." CJ wrote out the address of the ranch on one of her business cards and gave it to the nurse. "Guess we'll see you tomorrow."

"I'll be there when he gets there." She looked over at Matt, who was still sleeping. "Won't he be surprised?" She giggled as she walked out of the room.

"Now, we get to gossip a little bit." Mama took CJ by the arm and led her over to the chair. "Wait a minute," CJ stopped, "we've got to get you back to the ranch." Rosa smiled. "It's all taken care of – Lamar and Bo are coming to visit Matt in a little while, and I'll ride back with them. Now, let's sit down and talk. Have you two come up with any names for my grandchild yet?"


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8 **

After getting some information about Daniel Patrick Fallon from Chris, Vince and Roy set out to keep an eye on him. "Chris says he's not married and seems to be the only one living in the house." Roy loosened his tie.

Vince was driving while Roy caught him up on the latest information. "So all we need to do is wait for this Fallon guy to leave the house so we can put a bug or two in there."

"Critter." Roy looked over at him. "That's what Matt calls them."

"Right. Critter." Vince smiled. "You know, I love living in Hawaii and the restaurant is great, but I really do miss him and CJ. A lot."

"They miss you all, too. They can't order a pizza without saying "It's not as good as Mama's" every time." He smiled. "Alright, there it is. We better stay a couple of houses away. This one here should do." Vince pulled into the curb. Roy showed him how to turn on the cameras that were installed on the grill of the van. "That way we can close this divider," he pulled it after he and Vince stepped into the back of the van, "and nobody knows we're in here. Unless you sneeze real loud." He snickered. "And now, we watch and wait."

Back at the hospital, Lamar and Bo got off of the elevator and wandered down the hall. Bo looked on down the hall. "That's gotta be his room – there's two cops there." They walked on down and told the officers their names and were allowed in. They walked in the room slowly and looked over at Matt, who was eating dinner with the help of CJ. Bo elbowed Lamar. "Looky there Lamar, she's practicin' feedin' a baby!" Matt looked around CJ. "You two know what happens when a baby decides he doesn't want what he's being fed doncha?" He acted like he was going to spit at them and they all laughed. "Good to see you awake and jokin', Houston. We kinda freaked out yesterday when we got back to the bunkhouse and turned the news on and there you were."

CJ looked at Matt guiltily. "I forgot to call them yesterday." Matt patted her hand. "Well I guess maybe you were just a little distracted." He pushed a stray hair away from her face and smiled at her.

"So what kinda grub are they makin' you eat?" Lamar looked over at the tray. "Lord, I can't even identify that." Just then Matt's night nurse walked through the door. "Hey, don't be putting down our fine cuisine that we serve." She walked over and checked Matt's temperature and IV. "Okay, eat all your veggies, Houston. Sheila told me to make sure of that." She smiled at him and walked back out of the room. Matt made a face.

"Boy, have we got a surprise for you tomorrow." CJ scooped up more of the veggies and fed them to him. "Oh," Matt swallowed and made another face. "What's that?"

"Well, if I tell you it won't be a surprise, now will it?" She looked over at Mama who was trying her best not to fall out of the chair laughing.

Back in the van, Roy and Vince were talking. They had only met at Matt and CJ's wedding and were finding out a little bit more about each other. "So what was Houston like as a kid?" Vince was keeping an eye on the video from the cameras on the grill of the van.

"Pretty much the same as now – only shorter. And no mustache – until he was 13." Roy looked over at him.

"Seriously? He's had that thing since he was 13 years old?" Vince was amazed.

"No, he was still at the middle school when he was 13. They made him shave it off. But when he walked into the high school five months later, there it was. And it's been there ever since." Both had a good laugh.

Vince looked back at the screen. "Okay, here we go. The idiot is getting in his car. I'm glad you went for that walk earlier and put the bug – er, critter on there."

Once Fallon was out of sight, Roy showed Vince the coveralls in the back corner of the van. "Here you go, bug man, er, critter man. Go get 'em." Vince put them on and took the lock picks from Roy. "Hey, don't forget your sprayer." "Got it." He stepped out of the back of the van and walked up the driveway, pretending to spray around the base of the house. He worked his way around to the back where he knocked on the door. There was no answer. He knocked again and still no answer. Choosing the pick that he needed from the pouch that Roy had given him, Vince started working on the lock and had it open in no time. There wasn't a burglar alarm on the house. He entered the kitchen and looked around. Then starting in one end of the house he put a camera in every room except the bathroom. Three minutes later he went back down the driveway and got back in the van. He and Roy activated the cameras and made sure they were working before Vince took the wheel and they headed back to the office to watch and listen. Once they were away from the house, Roy moved up front with Vince and called CJ to let her know that they had safely gotten in and out without any problems.

"Okay, I'll tell him." She turned to Matt. "The critters are planted in the "idiot's" house and car – that's our preferred name for him."

Matt had a disgusted look on his face. "That's not my preferred name for him. I can't believe he blew up my truck!" He shook his head. They were quiet for a moment. "Why don't you come over here and sit?" Matt patted the bed.

"Because if the nurse comes in here…" She smiled at him. "I know you."

"Aw, come on, CJ. I just want you to sit with me. That's all, I swear." He looked at her with those brown eyes that she just couldn't say no to, so she moved over, put the rail down and sat down facing him. They talked for a few minutes then Matt suggested that she turn around and lay her head on his shoulder. "And when the nurse comes in here, we're both going to be in trouble, Matt." She looked at him.

"I really don't think they would care, CJ." There went those eyes again, so she snuggled up with him, her head on his shoulder and his arm around her. "Now, isn't that better?" He kissed the top of her head. Several minutes later the nurse came in and found both of them asleep. After checking Matt's IV, she turned out the light and left them alone.

Vince and Roy were sitting on the couch at the office watching the video feed from the critter cameras when Hoyt came up in the elevator, carrying a six-pack of beer and a bucket of hot wings. "Thought maybe we could watch the "idiot" and have a snack." He set the bucket of wings down on the table and handed each one a beer. Vince raised his bottle in a toast: "Here's to taking down the "idiot" and giving Houston a little peace." The other two men agreed.

"So what has he been up to so far?" Hoyt went behind the bar and grabbed a stack of napkins and went back to sit on the couch. He grabbed a couple of wings out of the bucket and passed it on to Vince, who then passed it to Roy.

"Well, he's been to three different bars so far." Vince showed Hoyt the list of bars that they had written down.

"Uh huh." Michael wiped his hands. "That second one there is a real hotspot for trouble makers."

Vince was looking at the screen. "And he's just stopped somewhere else." He hit the location button on the program and it showed him the name and address. "Mmmm." He wiped sauce off his mouth. "Looks like he's at a hotel." There on the display was The Hotel Phoenix. "Wonder who he's seeing?"

"Too bad we don't have a critter pinned to his…" Uncle Roy stopped as both men looked at him. "Coat tail, I was going to say coat tail." He grinned as Vince and Michael started laughing. Vince got serious suddenly. "I bet I know someone who can help us find out." He pulled out his cell phone and called his home. "Hi, Isabella, is Michael around? Good, I need him to help me with something. Yeah, he's going home tomorrow, but he's going to need a nurse there for a while. Okay, love you, too. Hey, Mikey, I've got a little job that's just up your alley. Have you got your laptop on? Of course you do, how silly of me." He rolled his eyes at Hoyt. "Okay, I need you to tap into The Hotel Phoenix room register. Yeah, it's in LA. Okay." He looked at Roy. "This kid can get into just about anything. I live in fear of somebody from the FBI showing up on my doorstep one day." He waited. "Great, can you send it to my email?" He nodded again and smiled. "Okay, kid, congratulations, you just helped us in trying to find out who tried to blow up your Uncle Matt. Thanks. 'Bye." He opened the web browser and pulled up his email, then clicked on the one from Mikey. "Here we go guys." The three men leaned in closer and scrolled through the registered guests.

"Damn it!" Roy was the first one to spot the name. Both Hoyt and Vince looked over at him. "It's Elizabeth!"


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

"What did he ever see in her in the first place?" Vince asked Roy, who shook his head. "I've often wondered if he was drugged."

"Well, I think the woman is crazy." Hoyt stood up and walked over to the windows that looked out over the skyline of the city. "Regardless, we need to figure out how to proceed." All three thought about it.

"Well, what if we pick up Fallon, tell him we've got him dead to rights, and offer to cut him a deal to get Elizabeth?" Vince stood up and walked over next to Hoyt.

"But what if he refuses? Don't forget who else he's been working for as well." Roy stared at the computer screen. "I've got a feeling that since the bomb didn't accomplish what she wanted by killing Matt that she's going to try again. Maybe we should let her. In other words, give her enough rope to hang herself. We've already got the goods on him, now we just need to get her." He went and stood with the other two. "Our problem is how to do just that, without Matt getting hurt any more than he already is."

Hoyt and Vince nodded. Vince stepped back over and picked up his drink. "Man, CJ is going to be pissed."

Roy looked at him. "She may be more than that. What if she's a target as well?"

"I'm going back to the hospital." Hoyt started for the elevator.

"You aren't going by yourself, wait up." Vince and Roy both followed.

Once they got to the hospital, Hoyt had a talk with the head of security, Charles Whitetree, and told him what was going on, asking him to keep it quiet but to let them stay with Houston and CJ in the room that night. He agreed and accompanied them upstairs to Matt's room. He looked at the three men. "Houston is a good guy. He helped my sister when her daughter was kidnapped a few years ago. I'll keep the nurses off of you." He smiled at them and intercepted the head nurse when she tried to stop them from going into the room.

Inside Matt's room there was only one light on: the one in the bathroom. It gave just enough light so that they could make out that CJ was up on the bed with Matt, snuggled in, and both were sleeping. Roy picked up the spare blanket and covered her, while Hoyt moved over and closed the blinds. The door opened, and Whitetree came in carrying another chair. "I think you'll be needing this." He set it by the door. "Let me know if you need anything else. I'll be at the nurses' station." He walked out the door.

"Who wants first shift?" Roy looked at Michael and Vince, who both shrugged. "Okay, dibs. You guys get some shut eye. Tomorrow is gonna be hectic."


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10**

Matt woke up about 6 am the next morning to find CJ still curled up asleep next to him. He kissed the top of her head then almost jumped out of his skin when he saw Roy, Hoyt, and Vince in the room. The jump caused CJ to wake up. "What are y'all doing in here?" Matt looked at Roy.

"Well, boy, we found out who's trying to get you." He walked over to the bed. "It's Elizabeth. We tracked the idiot to her hotel room last night."

"Why? She ended the whole thing. And thank God she did and I came to my senses." He looked at CJ. "You know, I still don't know what I was thinking. We were just too different."

"I've got a feeling that you were drugged, Matt." Roy looked at his nephew. "I know you had a concussion at the time you met her and that could explain part of it, but I really do think they drugged you. You just weren't acting like yourself at all."

Matt looked a little embarrassed and looked down at his left hand and the wedding ring that CJ had put there. He put his arm around her, pulled her closer as she stroked his cheek, then kissed her. "Well, I'm definitely acting like myself now. How are we going to catch the bitch?" All four of them looked at him in surprise. Matt very rarely used a word like that. "After what she did and tried to do? I've got a right."

Vince stood up and walked to the side of the bed. "Well, we've been talking about that for most of the night, but really haven't come up with a plan. But we are going to get you home today. You'll be safer there. We can lock that place down and nobody will get in."

Houston thought for a minute. "But if we lock it down too tight, we won't be able to trap her." He looked at Roy. "That's what it's going to take, more than likely."

Hoyt's phone rang. "Yeah, Sanchez, what is it? He's what?! Were there any witnesses? Alright, have they put out an APB on her yet? Good. Yeah, thanks for the heads up." He hung up and looked at Matt. "Evidently she wasn't happy with Fallon's sloppy job: she killed him about 4 am in the hallway of the hotel. They've got the whole thing on video."

"It sounds like she's gone off the deep end." Vince looked at Roy. "Okay, we need to get him to the ranch. And I've got an idea."

A couple of hours later, Dr. Metcalfe made his rounds and found his way into Houston's room. "Alright, Houston, we're going to let you go home. The nurses just can't take any more. I'll have them get your release papers ready." He shook Matt's hand. "Just don't come back to see us too soon, okay?"

Matt shook his hand. "Well, I didn't plan to come see you this time. Or any of the other times, come to think of it." The doctor left and Matt looked over at CJ. "Where are my clothes?"

"You do know it's going to take them a little while to get those papers ready don't you?" She walked over to the closet and pulled out the clothes that she had brought the previous afternoon. "I believe we may need some help getting these on you." She held up a pair of denim shorts.

Matt looked over at Vince. "Are you still my best man?" He grinned as Vince nodded his head. "Always will be, Ace, you know that." Uncle Roy stepped out of the room to talk to Mr. Whitetree.

"Alright, let's get to work." Matt started to swing his leg over to the side of the bed and CJ stopped him. "No, sir, you hold still and let us do the work." Between Vince and herself they managed to get him dressed.

"Now you do realize that you're going to be in a wheelchair for a little while, right?" CJ sat down on the edge of the bed. "Yeah, an arm in a sling doesn't work too well for operating a crutch." Matt nodded. "I've been thinking; we need to go out the back door of this joint. If she's around, she'll probably expect us to go out the front."

Roy walked back into the room with Charles Whitetree, who came over and shook Matt's hand. "I don't know if you remember me or not, Mr. Houston…" Matt nodded. "You're Sherri Nicholson's brother, right?"

Whitetree smiled. "I sure am. I'm also head of security here at the hospital. Your uncle and I are going to take you out through the kitchen so that you won't be spotted. He's told me what's going on. We've got extra security on site right now and they know who they are after."

"I sure appreciate that." Matt looked around the room. "And I haven't thanked the rest of y'all for helping. I'm sorry that all this happened in the first place. If I hadn't been such an idiot…" He looked down at his hands. CJ tilted his chin up and looked him in the eye. "You're not the idiot…remember? He's dead." Vince snickered and that made the rest of the men crack up. "Y'all just aren't right, you know that don't you?" Matt looked around at them and then cracked up himself. "Serves him right – blowing up my dream truck." That just made everyone laugh even harder.

A short time later, the release papers were brought and Houston got into a wheel chair and was taken down to the kitchen by the freight elevator and whisked out to his van that was parked right outside the kitchen door. Vince and Hoyt picked him up in the chair and loaded him inside. CJ climbed in and sat in the back with him. Once Vince took off in the direction of the ranch, Uncle Roy went around the outside of the building and got in CJ's Navigator and took off in the opposite direction. Hoyt headed in the same direction as Vince in his personal vehicle. He made sure to leave several car lengths between the two.

Five minutes later, Roy called CJ. "There's no sign of anybody following me. She may not know that you've already gotten a new car. I'm going to head toward the ranch now and do a sweep to make sure everything is okay. I've already talked to Bo and Lamar and they are standing by ready at the gate."

"Okay, thanks Uncle Roy." She hung up and told Matt and Vince. "I'm not going to be in a big rush to get there, okay Ace? I know you're not very comfortable back there, but we need to give him time to check everything out."

"I'm fine, Vince, don't worry about me." Matt looked over at CJ, who knew that every bump in the road was painful for him. She leaned over and whispered, "You really aren't a very good liar, you know." He grinned at her and pulled her closer for a kiss. "I'm sorry about all this CJ." He looked into her eyes. "I'm sorry that I ever had anything to do with her. If I had only gotten up the courage to tell you how I really felt about you sooner, this never would have happened."

"I'm just as much at fault as you, Matt. But that's all in the past. We're together now and that's what is important." She took his face in her hands and kissed him. Vince looked up in the rear view mirror and rolled his eyes. "Gees, you guys still act like you're newlyweds or something." He smiled at them in the mirror.

"Maybe that's because we are." Matt looked around the back of the van, then looked at CJ and wiggled his eyebrows. "Mattlock William Houston, don't you even think about it!" She smacked his good arm. "Too late, I already did." He kissed her again. "You know, having a chauffeur does have its advantages."

Uncle Roy zipped through the gate that Bo opened for him and stopped long enough to tell them that Vince would be bringing Matt in the van in just a few minutes. He went on up to the house and checked that everything was secure, then called CJ to let her know.

A short time later Vince and Hoyt both drove through the gate and Bo and Lamar shut them, then went on up to the house where they helped to unload Houston from the back of the van. Mama was there as well and handed CJ a bandana to cover his eyes. "What's with the blindfold?" Matt was fully confused as they rolled him into the house. CJ stopped the chair. "Okay, Matt you can take it off now." He did, and was shocked. Not only had she gotten rid of his recliner and rearranged the den, but there in the middle of it all was Sheila. Matt cracked up. "So you're my private nurse, huh?"

She walked over to him. "And this may be your house, Houston, but we're still playing by my rules, you understand?"

Matt nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I'm just glad to be home."

"Lord, I better take this boy's temperature; he must be runnin' a fever to agree with that!" Sheila patted him on the arm. "Let's get you settled in and comfortable."

Matt looked around at the den. CJ had put three couches in the room lining three of the walls. She walked over to the one that was in about the same spot as Matt's recliner had been. "Here you go, hon. I think you might want to claim this one as yours." She reached down at the side of the couch and up popped the footstool of an extra-large recliner. Matt's eyes lit up. "There's one on each end of the couches." He smiled up at her. "That's my girl, thinking on her toes."

"I was afraid you might be mad at me for getting rid of your old one, but it had seen better days." She helped Sheila get him out of the wheelchair and situated in his new recliner. He leaned back and closed his eyes. "Yep, this will work alright. Thanks, babe." He took her hand and kissed it.

"Okay, enough lovey-dovey for right now, we need to get you taken care of, mister. You've got some medicine to take." Matt started to make a face, but thought better of it. While he was waiting for Sheila to bring his medicine, he looked over at Uncle Roy. "Okay, what's the rest of the plan?"

"We're going to leave the gate unlocked so that our "guest" can get through. We're also going to leave the kitchen door unlocked…in order to catch her red handed." He stepped over to Matt and handed him his Sig Sauer which he hid in the sling on his right arm.

"Thanks. CJ, I want you, Mama, and Sheila to get back in our bedroom or somewhere else safe."

Sheila came back in with his pills just as he said it. "No sir. I'm here to take care of you and that's what I'm going to do." She reached behind her back and pulled out a little pistol. "My husband is deployed in Afghanistan with the Marines. He wanted me to be able to protect myself – and believe me, I can." She put the gun back.

Matt looked over at CJ who pulled a pistol from her behind her as well. Mama looked at the other two women. "I'll take a shotgun please." Everyone started laughing. Matt patted the couch next to him. "Mama, come here for a minute, please." She walked over and sat down. "Seriously, I want you to go back to my bedroom and stay there. I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you." He looked at her as she started to shake her head no. "Mama, please, I'm begging you." Vince walked over to them. "Mama, go on back. We've got him covered, okay?"

"Oh, alright!" She started toward the bedroom. "But if any of you miss her, I'll find something to get her with." She marched off still fussing in Italian. Matt was doing his best not to laugh. Sheila brought him the pills that he was supposed to take. He looked at them, and picked up a powder blue caplet that he knew was a pain pill and handed it back to her. "I'm not taking that until all of this is over."

"Yes, sir you will. I'm not going to have you sitting here in pain."

Matt's eyes darkened. "Sheila, if I wasn't worried about a crazy woman trying to come in and kill me and CJ, believe me, I would take it in a New York minute. But not with what's going on here. I said no. I need to be awake and alert." She looked over at CJ who nodded her head in agreement.

"Well, alright." She walked back to replace the pill in the bottle.

Roy's phone rang: it was Charles Whitetree, the head of security at the hospital. He was letting Roy know that Elizabeth had called and a hospital volunteer who didn't know about the threat had informed her that Matt had been discharged.

Uncle Roy called Lamar who along with Bo would act as lookout for them in the hayloft of the barn. "We're all set in here, how about you two?" He nodded his head at Vince and Hoyt then hung up. Vince pulled a pistol out of his waistband and sat in the floor next to Matt, hidden by the arm of the couch. "Need a pillow down there?" Matt looked over at his friend. "Nah, don't wanna get too comfortable." Vince looked at Roy and Hoyt. "What about you guys?"

Hoyt looked around and got in the floor on the other end of the couch. Roy stood looking at them. "One of you boys is gonna have to move." Both men shook their heads no. "Well, hell, where am I gonna get?" Matt looked around. "How about over there?" He pointed to the couch to the left of the one that he was on. Roy headed that way. "Okay, CJ what about you girls?" They looked around.

"I think I'm going to sit next to my handsome hubby." She walked over and plopped down next to Matt, making sure to give him enough room to pull the pistol out of his sling if needed. Matt looked at her. "You know, I would really prefer it if you two were back there with Mama." She shook her head. "Not happening. I'm sticking with you." He looked down and rubbed his temples. "CJ, not to be indelicate, but there's a possibility that you could be pregnant; do we really need to go through this again?" She looked at him. "Matt, I'm not. I found out yesterday. And I'm staying right here." He nodded and then took her hand and kissed it, pulled her into a hug, and whispered in her ear. "I'm sorry, CJ, I just didn't want to take a chance." She put her forehead against his. "I know. It's okay, we're all family here." They kissed again and Roy's cell phone rang. He answered. "Yeah, Lamar? Okay. We're ready for her." He looked at the others in the room. "She's coming up the drive."

Sheila moved down to the end of the DVD cabinet where she was somewhat hidden. "Bring it on, heifer." She looked at Matt and smiled.


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11**

No one said a word. Matt reached into the sling, pulled out the pistol and took off the safety. Everyone else did the same. He looked back at CJ. "Please take Sheila and go back to the bedroom." CJ shook her head no. In a moment they heard the kitchen door quietly open. According to their plan, Bo and Lamar would head toward the house when they saw her go inside.

They could hear light footsteps coming through the kitchen. Matt took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. There, appearing around the door frame was Elizabeth. She had blood stains on her shirt and a crazed look in her eyes. In her hands was a pistol. She walked into the room, ignoring everyone there but Matt and CJ. "I see you married HER." Matt nodded. "I did. Smartest thing I've ever done in my life. Why don't you do something smart and drop the gun, right now?" He was doing his best to keep his voice calm and conversational.

"Smart? Not likely." She took another step into the room. "I changed my mind about you and decided to marry you after all. But we'll have to get rid of HER first." She jerked her head at CJ. "How dare you marry him? You're nothing; you had no right to marry him."

"As I recall, you left the man at the altar, not that he should have been standing there with you in the first place." CJ was calm. "Not to mention the fact that you tried to kill him with a bomb."

"You little tramp! He's far too good for the likes of you." She tossed her head back and laughed. "He probably only married you because he was bored and needed someone to warm his bed while I was away." She took another step.

"Elizabeth, stop right there and drop the gun. Do it." Matt brought his pistol up and pointed it at her. "I mean it. Do it now and I'll make sure you get the help you need."

"Help? Me need help? Nooooo. All I need is to marry the man I love and who loves me. You know you do, Matt. Remember? We were going to be so happy, and we still can be, but we need to get rid of HER first." She looked back at CJ again, her eyes full of hatred. She took another step.

"Stop. One more step and I'll shoot. I mean it." Matt had his finger on the trigger.

"No, you won't shoot me! You love me, Matt. I know you do." She raised the gun and pointed it at CJ. At that moment two guns fired – Matt and CJ's. Both shots hit her in the head and she dropped to the floor like a rag doll. Hoyt and Vince came out from their hiding places just as Bo and Lamar came into the den. Vince got to her first and kicked the gun away from her hand, and then checked for a pulse, knowing all the while that there would be none. He shook his head at Hoyt, who pulled out his phone and called headquarters. Vince looked at Elizabeth's head: both bullets had entered in the same exact spot. He looked back over at Matt and CJ who were in each other's arms. Mama came out of the bedroom and went to check on them.

Roy went to Matt and CJ. "Boy, are you sure you're okay?" "Yeah, I'm alright Uncle Roy." He looked down at Elizabeth then back at CJ. "I'm so sorry, CJ."

"I told you before: you don't have anything to be sorry about." She kissed him and they continued to hold onto one another.

After the police, coroner, and CSI techs had come and gone, the crime scene techs with a large piece of the carpet, Matt finally gave in and took the pain pill. He and CJ were curled up in the recliner together. He was getting drowsy and turned his head toward CJ. "I think we need to replace the carpet now." She looked over at him. "Those pain pills are making you silly." He started to doze off then opened his eyes again. "Babe, why did you get the extra-large recliners?" She played with his hair and watched as he fought to keep his eyes open. "Well, I figured we would need the extra room for when I do get pregnant and for when you've got a couple of kids in your lap." He smiled and laid his head over on her. "I can't wait," he said as he drifted off to sleep with the smile still on his face.

Vince came over and sat down next to the pair. He leaned forward and looked at Matt. "Finally tapped out, did he?" CJ nodded. "Well, we found out a couple of things today, didn't we?" Vince patted CJ's knee.

"What's that?" She turned her head and looked at him.

"Number one, you're a good shot." He paused. "Number two, Tex there can shoot left handed."

A week later, Matt was sitting out by the pool savoring a beer with his leg propped up in a chair. "Houston! Where are you? I swear, boy, you're worse than any two year old I've ever seen!" Sheila came out of the kitchen door and saw him. "Now how in the heck did you get out here?" He just smiled at her and sipped the beer. "Is that a beer you're drinking? You know you're not supposed to have alcohol right now, give me that!" She took the bottle out of his hand, only to find it empty. "How does CJ put up with you on a daily basis? That woman must be a saint!" Matt just smiled and laughed. "Come on, Sheila, you and I both know that one beer and a little bit of sunshine isn't going to hurt me one bit. Have a seat; I want to show you something." He gave a whistle and in a few seconds, here came his favorite horse Cricket. She had jumped the pasture fence and come straight to him.

"So who are you? Roy Rogers or Gene Autry?" She laughed as the horse walked right up to Matt and began giving him a kiss. "No, you DID NOT just let that horse slobber on you!" Sheila got up, went into the house and came back out with a bottle of hand sanitizer.

"Here now! What're you doin'? Tryin' to get my horse drunk?" Matt pushed the bottle of sanitizer away. Sheila collapsed into the chair in a fit of giggles. CJ walked outside and started petting on Cricket. "Did you show her the other trick?"

"Not yet. Cricket? Go give Sheila a hug." The horse walked over and hung her head over the astonished nurse's shoulder.

"Aww, she's just the cutest little thing!" She began petting the horse while CJ sat down next to Matt. "If you keep giving her fits like this, she's going to demand combat pay." He just shrugged his shoulders. "It would be worth it." The two began kissing.

"Alright now! Don't you two be trying to get something going here!" Sheila was after him again.


End file.
